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Abstract

Recently a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) source based on an electrically operated semiconductor laser has been demonstrated. Here we present a numerical investigation of the light-SPP coupling process involved in the device. The problem consists in the coupling via a diffraction grating between a dielectric waveguide mode – the laser mode – and a SPP mode. The issue of the coupling efficiency is discussed, and the dependence on various geometrical parameters of both the grating and the dielectric waveguide is studied in detail. A maximum coupling efficiency of ≈24% is obtained at telecom wavelengths, which could lead to a high-power integrated SPP source when combined to a laser medium.

Geometry of the configuration under study. The structure is assumed to be infinite in the y-direction. The frequency-dependent gold index nm is taken from [18]. The red curves represent the typical mode profiles of the two modes to be coupled.

(a) Calculated SPP coupling efficiency as a function of the wavelength. Different curves show data for various numbers N of periods composing the grating. Inset: Maximum SPP coupling efficiency versus N. (b) Calculated SPP coupling efficiency as a function of the grating period Λ for various wavelengths.

Calculated SPP coupling efficiency as a function of the grating duty cycle dc (a), and the metal thickness tm (b) for various grating periods Λ. The data in panel (b) are shown for both dc = 50% and dc = 60%.